Street Rat
Integrity: 1.5
Outfit: Ragged clothing, knife, one small weapon, Traveling pack, 1 Copper
Homebrew Schools
Medinaat Al-Salaam
Free Citizen Option #1. No Trait bonus. Gain an additional 10 experience points for character creation.
Free Citizen Option #2. No Trait bonus or school. Gain an additional 25 experience points for character creation.
Schools of the City Caravan Guard (Warrior)
If it is the duty of the City Guard to keep the peace and enforce the laws inside Medinaat Al-Salaam, it is the duty of the Caravan Guard to protect the blood that keeps the great heart pumping. The Caravan Guard serves as bodyguards for large caravans, protecting the priceless goods heading to and from the City of 1,000 Tales from brigands and thieves. The duty of the Caravan Guard has remained mostly unchanged for centuries; the only difference is in where they go. Recent increased trade with the Ivory Kingdoms led many down into those fertile lands. But in more recent years contact with the Kingdoms has been cut off completely and stories of destruction and war are all that come north. The recent upheaval of the Senpet by the Yodotai and the continuing rebellion has limited that trade route. Most interestingly, the caravans they guard are beginning to edge closer to the Emerald Empire.
Benefit: +1 Strength
Integrity: 5.5
Skills: Defense, Commerce, Swordsmanship, Archery, Investigation (Notice), one Weapon skill, any one skill.
Outfit: Longsword, standard bow, 20 arrows, one weapon, Light Armor, clothes, traveling pack, 5 copper
Techniques
Rank 1: Falcon’s Eyes
The Caravan Guard must always be on the lookout for danger. You gain a +1k0 bonus to all Perception based rolls and attack rolls.
Rank 2: Gorilla’s Strength
The Caravan Guard must be prepared to crush trouble as soon as it arrives. Your Strength is considered to be two ranks higher when determining damage for Spears.
Rank 3: Owl’s Wisdom
A Caravan Guard will spend most of his time out in the sands, learning all that there is to know about them. You are considered to have the Way of the Land Advantage as long as you are outside a city and within the Burning Sands. Your Strength is considered to be one rank higher when determining damage for Swords.
Rank 4: Fox’s Swiftness
Caravan Guard’s must be capable of attacking repeatedly so they can finish an enemy quickly and move on to the next. You may make attacks as a simple action with any weapon for which your Strength is increased when determining damage.
Rank 5: Jinn’s Power
You must be able to strike a blow as though you were a mighty Jinn in order to properly protect your caravan. You may spend a Void point to add +2k1 to your damage roll. In addition, Your Strength is considered to be two ranks higher when determining damage for Heavy Weapons.
Servant of the Sun (Monk)
Those who devote themselves to worship of the sun are perhaps the most common of monks. Mostly their devotions are placation to avoid her wrath, and convincing others to do the same. If enough pray, they believe, Shilah will be placated and they will avoid a second Day of Wrath. They blame the Breaking of the Jewel on a lack of faith which served to increase their devotions and use of rhetoric for several generations, though a backlash of less devout priests has begun to appear.
Devotion: Shilah
Benefit: +1 Awareness
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Courtier, Intimidation 2, Lore: Theology (Shilah), Etiquette, Meditation, any one skill
Technique: The Word of the Sun
The Sun is a deity to be feared, according to the Servants of the Sun. As such placation must be made and the servants must be willing to make people understand that they must pray, especially when they don’t want to. When making a contested Social Skill roll you may spend a Void point to use your Intimidation (Control) skill instead of the skill called upon. You do not lose integrity for using the Intimidation skill.
Priest of the Word (Monk)
Mekhem was, in many ways, the founder of Medinaat al-Salaam, and his teachings caused the foundation of the city to be formed and has led to the great success of the city. It is no surprise then that a group dedicated to learning Mekhem’s teachings eventually came into being. The Priests of the Word follow Mekhem’s teachings, expanding upon the theories of his meanings and branching out from there, leading to dozens of different minor sects.
Devotion: Mekhem
Benefit: +1 Intelligence
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Etiquette, Defense, Lore: Theology (Mekhem), Meditation, Lore (choose one), any two skills
Technique: The 47 Sayings
The Priests of the Word are perhaps the most learned men in the Burning Sands and are more than happy to share that knowledge with others. When you spend a Void point on a High skill you gain a +2k1 bonus rather than +1k1.
Dervish (Monk) The Dervish are a unique order of monks within the city who devote themselves to the teachings of Mekhem in a somewhat strange way. While many monks within the city are more grounded in the world, the Dervish order has a uniquely mystic tradition dating back to the eighth century when they were founded. Their goal is to seek truth in oneself and purify the body and soul for their inevitable meeting with the Divine. Devotion: Mekhem Benefit: +1 Agility Integrity: 5.5 Skills: Etiquette, Lore: Theology, Meditation (Void Recovery), Perform: Dance 2, Sincerity, Athletics Technique: Meditations on the Self The Dervish order has perfected a dance meant to center themselves, and even those around them can feel the purification of the process. A number of times per day equal to your School Rank you may make a Perform: Dance/Void roll at TN 20. This dance takes five minutes to complete. If you succeed at this roll you regain two Void Points. In addition, a number of people who witnessed this performance up to twice your School Rank may gain one Void point.
Nomad Paths Qahtan Riders (Warrior) The Qahtan Riders are trained to be light on their horses, to the point that many Qahtan chose to ride without saddles, claiming that a saddle only slows the horse down. The results are hard to argue with as the Qahtan have some of the fastest and most sure-footed horses and riders in the Burning Sands. Benefit: +1 Reflexes Skills: Athletics, Defense, Horsemanship, Animal Handling, Tahaddi, Archery, any one skill Integrity: 3.5 Outfit: Partial or Light Armor, Sturdy desert clothing, Riding Horse, Horsebow and 20 arrows, sikin, Traveling Pack, 1 Copper Technique: The Great East Wind The Great East Wind brings life as it speeds across the desert sands, so to do the Qahtan Riders move across the sand. Your Water ring is considered to be one rank higher for determining your movement, when mounted your horse is considered to have an additional rank of Swift. In addition, you gain a bonus to your ArmorTN equal to your Horsemanship skill while mounted and half that, round down, while on foot.
Mutayr Stoic (Warrior) The Mutayr are trained in some of the harshest conditions possible to ensure that only the toughest riders survive the program. The Mutayr train for endurance both in horse and in rider and it is claimed that no nomad tribe is as capable of withstanding the heat of Lady Shilah as well as them. Benefit: +1 Stamina Skills: Investigation, Defense, Horsemanship, Hunting 2 (Survival), Archery, any one skill Integrity: 2.5 Outfit: Partial or Light Armor, Sturdy desert clothing, Riding Horse, Horsebow and 20 arrows, sikin, Traveling Pack, 1 Copper Technique: The Anvil’s Master The Anvil is perhaps the harshest and most unforgiving portion of the entire Burning Sands. It is said that it was here that Shilah focused her anger, and the Mutayr seek to survive the next Day of Wrath by surviving that place. Your TNs to resist the Dazed, Fatigued, and Stunned Conditional Effects and effects of Environmental Hazards are reduced by 5. In addition you gain a Reduction of 2.
Joth Nightstalker (Warrior) The Joth are a tribe that has recently undergone quite a bit of luck. With the absence of the Moto, the Joth are one of those who have stepped into the power vacuum made. They have become expert raiders and nighttime ambushers, growing rich off the plunder of those Caravans that they fall upon. Technique Rank: 2 Requirements: Stealth 3, Horsemanship 1 Technique: Strike in Silence - The Joth Nightstalker is adept at coming up right next to their foe before they even realize they are there. You may use the Stealth skill while Mounted. In addition you gain a +2k0 bonus to all Stealth rolls under the cover of night.
Farsi Bowman (Warrior) The Farsi are perhaps some of the most renowned horse archers in the world, their strong bows able to strike the wings off a fly some say. Were the Farsi ever united, it is said, they would conquer the world. Technique Rank: 2 Requirements: Archery 3, Horsemanship 1 Technique: The Farsian Shot - The Farsian shot is the signature of their people, and many say that a Farsi is at his most dangerous when he is running away from you. You gain a +2k0 bonus to ranged attack rolls. This becomes a +2k1 bonus if you are mounted and your mount has made a simple move action this round.
Tirkak Guardian (Warrior) Little is known of the Tirkak other than that they make their home in the Western Wastes and have a penchant for magical matters. The Guardians are a rather elite group of fighters though, who focus their efforts on overcoming magical opposition. Technique Rank: 2 Requirements: Spellcraft 3 Technique: Stand against the Magi - The Guardians have learned that in order to properly fight the magical foes, they must be able to defend themselves from magic. Whenever you are the target of a spell, you may increase or decrease the TN of the spell by 5. Additionally, you gain a +1k0 bonus on attack rolls while mounted.
Paths of the Free Man Tomb Raiders (Diplomat)
The Tomb Raiders are an ancient organization that has been in existence for as long as Medinaat Al-Salaam has. The Tomb Raiders have no direct loyalty to any one nation or person and every nation or person of power has an interest in what the Tomb Raiders can dredge out of the sands.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Lore: Tombs 2
Technique: Add your Athletics skill rank to your Armor TN while you are in the Defense and Attack stances. You gain a +2k0 bonus on Investigation rolls.
The Thieves Guild (Warrior)
A shady group of cut-purses and vagabonds, the Thieves Guild is an organization that operates just outside the authority of the city and chooses to irritate those in charge by referring to themselves as a legitimate guild. The Thieves Guild is an ancient organization that has existed almost as long as the people of Medinaat Al-Salaam have had heavy purses that need lifting.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Sleight of Hand 2
Technique: When you are making an Agility/Sleight of Hand skill roll against a person your opponent suffers a -1k0 penalty to their roll for each Rank they have in the Wealth advantage, up to your Insight Rank.
Bodyguards (Warrior)
This group of men and women is an organization that has existed in one form or another within the city for generations. They line their pockets with contracts to the wealthy to whom they put their lives on the line to protect. The Bodyguards do not often have any interest in the exact details of why a person needs protection, they simply offer good protection. For the right price.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Defense 2, Integrity 3.0 or higher
Technique: Your Water Ring is one rank higher when determining your movement rate while you are moving in someone's defense. In addition you get a +1k0 bonus to damage rolls against an opponent who attacked the person you are guarding.
Militiamen (Warrior)
The Militiamen are a group of irregulars who serve at the whim of the Sultan and Caliph in the defense of the city. Unlike the City Guard irregulars they have no duty to enforce the laws of Medinaat Al-Salaam. Their only duty is to protect the city in the remote occasion when it finds itself attacked by an outside force. For the most part this is a cushy job with no real danger. But during the Awakening the Militiamen found themselves vastly out of their league against the threats they were facing.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Battle 3
Technique: You gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to your Insight Rank. While you are in the attack stance you may spend a void point to give all of your allies in the attack stance within 10 feet this benefit as well. This effect does not stack.
Financier Guild (Diplomat)
In a city as large and as wealthy as Medinaat Al-Salaam, it is inevitable that there will be some people who have wealth but have no interest in keeping track of it themselves. The Financier's fit into this niche by assisting those who have no talent for finance keep track of their large sums of money. For the most part this group does not cheat their employers out of money. But skimming from the bottom of the fund does happen and the leaders of the group are generally more than happy to look the other way as long as they get a cut.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Commerce 3
Technique: After being given access to someone's financial records you may make a contested Intelligence/Commerce(Mathematics) roll against the person who's finances you are reading. If you succeed you get a +1k0 bonus to any social or commerce roll made against that person for the next 24 hours. Alternatively, you may make an Intelligence/Commerce (Mathematics) roll against a TN of 25. If you succeed any time you are making a social or commerce roll on that persons behalf you get a +1k0 bonus to your roll for the next 24 hours.
Fire Brigade (Warrior)
Fires are not immensely common in the Burning Sands, which is no small part due to the fact that many structures are not built of wood. But in the dry and hot environment, fires that do start can quickly blaze up and become a hazard. The Fire Brigade are the brave, and some would say suicidal, men and women who fight these flash fires and are often called upon to jump into the most hazardous of situations to save lives. The Fire Brigade knows no fear.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Athletics 2
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus to all rolls against Fear, Intimidation, and any roll in which you are resisting being frightened.
Grand Performer's Guild (Artisan)
While one of the names of the city is The City of One Thousand Tales, that is not to say Storytellers alone rule the city streets. This guild makes their living by entertaining the throngs with displays of talent with instruments. The Grand Performer's Guild has been in existence for several centuries and has helped to expand the arts within The City of Peace during their tenure.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: One Perform skill that is not Storytelling at 4
Technique: If you spend a Void point on a non-vocal perform skill, you gain a +2k2 bonus to the roll rather than +1k1.
Al-Din's Knife (Warrior)
This formidable group is the premier dueling school that is open only those who are able to prove their ability in the art of dueling. Al-Din's Knife has perfected their technique over the decades of their existence and uses that skill to deadly effect. Members of Al-Din's Knife are expected to treat dueling as the sacred art that it is.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Tahaddi 4, You must defeat a member of Al-Din's Knife in a duel.
Technique: When you are in the center stance, you add twice your Void Ring to your normal bonus instead of your Void Ring.
Jarad's Mercenaries (Warrior)
Perhaps the most feared of independent contractors within the city, Jarad's Mercenaries are a highly trained, well organized, and morally scrupulous. They don't particularly care for politics and will hire themselves on with whoever pays them their contract fee. Being as disciplined and trained as they are, the Mercenaries are a relatively small group, with perhaps only 60 men in their employ at any given time.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: At least one rank in all weapon skills or Warrior's Hands.
Technique: You may spend a Void Point as a free action to make attacks with the weapon you are wielding as a simple action for the remainder of the skirmish.
Storyteller's Guild (Artisan)
One of the older guilds within the city, the Storyteller's Guild is an elite group that is very picky about who they allow to join their illustrious group. Those that are allowed to join get a number of perks that many lesser Storytellers could only dream of. Clearance to tell a story at almost any time in almost any location, and best of all, private shows to high ranking officials.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Perform: Storytelling 4, Must have an Ally in the Storyteller's Guild.
Technique: When making an Awareness/Perform: Storytelling roll you may declare a special raise. For each raise you made you may choose one person that heard your story and purchase them as an ally for one point less. In addition you gain a +1k0 bonus to all Perform: Storytelling and Etiquette skill rolls.
Rat Kings (Warrior)
The Rat Kings are a group of thieves and vagabonds that have honed their skills through experience and a hard life on the streets. The Rat Kings are rather exclusive as well, only allowing those that they know and trust into their fold to learn their secrets.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Stealth 4, Athletics 4, Must have an Ally in the Rat Kings.
Technique: When making a Stealth or Athletics skill roll, if you do not have the relevant emphasis in that skill you may re-roll any 1's as though you did possess the emphasis. If you do have the relevant emphasis you may re-roll 1's and 2's.
Hayreddin's School (Warrior)
Hayreddin was a skilled swordsman during the Awakening who showed both his skill and his compassion repeatedly over the tumultuous events. When everything was over, Hayreddin was asked to form a school to teach others what he knew, so they could better defend themselves. Hayreddin reluctantly accepted the offer and the school was formed. It faced some resistance from groups like Jarad's Mercenaries, but after Hayreddin defended his school against their depredations the Mercenaries reluctantly accepted the school's existence. Hayreddin himself still runs the school, though the years are beginning to take their toll on him.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: One weapon skill at 4
Technique: Making attacks with weapons with the Warrior keyword are a simple action for you.
Merchant Guild (Diplomat)
There has been a long and drawn out financial war between the Dahabi and the Merchant Guild. The Merchant Guild threatens the monopoly that the Dahabi have over the city, and many in the Merchant Guild have no interest in becoming lackeys of someone higher up in the food chain than they are. The men and women of the Merchant Guild are strong willed individuals who simply wish to live their lives following their own wishes and not having to worry about a boss.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Commerce 5, Must defeat a member of the Merchant House in a Commercial affair.
Technique: In a contested Commerce skill roll or Social skill roll you may spend a Void point to give your opponent a -2k0 penalty to their roll.
Serpent's Bite (Ninja)
The Serpent's Bite is a group of blades for hire that were once the premier assassins of the city long ago. Since the Assassins of the Mountain have come into the city however, their fortunes have changed. Often times the Serpent's Bite fulfills contracts which the Assassins have no interest in or when the money isn't good enough to buy an Assassin of the Mountain.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Knives or Brawling skill at 4
Technique: Making attacks with a Knife or unarmed are a simple action for you if the target is unaware of your presence or alone.
Black Masks (Warrior)
The Black Masks are a notorious group whose exact membership is unknown to all but their leader. All members where black hoods over their faces so that they cannot be recognized by anyone during the course of their duties. What exactly the Black Masks do is torture. Their knowledge of the human body and how to push it to its breaking point is beyond most other groups.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Lore: Anatomy 4, Integrity 3.0 or less.
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus to damage rolls. You may make an Intelligence/Lore: Anatomy roll at TN 20 as a simple action to determine the remaining wounds of an opponent
Crimelords (Diplomat)
The premier of the underworld, the Crimelords are the people who own places like the Maze and other places where most people fear to tread. They wield fear as a potent weapon that they turn on any who would oppose them. No one does business in the underworld without their knowledge and approval.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Lore: Underworld 5
Technique: You may make a contested Willpower/Intimidation (Bullying) roll, resisted as normal. If you succeed on this roll your opponent suffers a -3k0 penalty to all rolls made against you can cannot call raises or use free raises in rolls made against you for one hour.
Bounty Hunters (Warrior)
The Bounty Hunters are a relentless group that is often hired on by the City Guard to collect criminals that they do not have the manpower available to apprehend themselves. They are trackers without peer and are known to hunt their prey relentlessly until they are brought in.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Hunting 5
Technique: Once per day you may nominate a target for the remainder of that day. You get a +1k1 bonus to all Hunting or Investigation rolls related to your target and you may use the Disarm maneuver against your target for one raise.
Rangers (Warrior)
The Rangers spend most of their time outside the confines of the city, scouring the desert for signs of life which may lead to new opportunities for themselves and their city. The Rangers are skilled with bows, as many creatures in the Burning Sands are deadly enough to kill if they get close enough.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Archery 4
Technique: Making attacks with a bow is considered a simple action for you.
Doomseeker (Sahir)
Technique Rank: 4
Replaces: Any Rank 4 tech, Rokugani must be Unicorn Shugenjas
Requirements: Willpower 5, must find a personal teacher who will share the secrets of the Doomseeker tradition. Subject to GM Approval.
Technique: Any time you are in the presence of a hidden demon, monster, khadi, or similar entity, you may roll Willpower TN 25 to sense the presence and location of the creature. With a success, you are able to pick up subtle clues that give away the entity's true nature to you.
If you have become aware of the presence of such a creature, you may spend a spell slot as a Complex action to make a Contested Willpower roll against the creature. With a success, you gain a spiritual insight into the entity's true nature and learn one key piece of information about how it can be unmasked and/or defeated. The second part of this technique cannot be used against the same target more often than once per month.
Sages (Diplomat)
The Sages are the Lore masters of Medinaat Al-Salaam. There are few things that they do not have knowledge of and they jealously guard their secrets from those who are not members. Even among members, information is a hassle to get out of another as paranoia can run rampant among their ranks. Still, any information that can be found is always of use.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: Two Lore skills at 6, Must have the Forbidden Knowledge advantage.
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus on any non-combat roll that is related to a Lore skill that you possess. This ability stacks.
Shadow (Ninja)
The Shadow are a little known organization of thieves that hides deep in the underbelly of society. They are difficult to find, and even harder to get in contact with unless they have an interest in speaking to you. The Shadow serves in any number of different functions, from information gathering, to assassination, to simple burglary. There are few things that the Shadow does not have its fingers into, and it is impossible to say where one might appear next.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: Stealth 6, you must sneak in and out of a highly secured location without being noticed.
Technique: If you fail a Stealth skill roll or are spotted while attempting a Stealth skill roll, you may spend a Void point to re-roll. You must keep this new roll.
Sworddancer (Warrior)
The Sworddancers are some of the greatest weapon wielders of all time. Each member has proven his skill with a blade and is able to make it dance across a battlefield, both awing and terrifying his opponents. The Sworddancers have existed as a group for centuries and have a very small population, considering the stringent requirements to join.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: A Weapon skill at 6, Perform: Dance 5
Technique: The number of raises you may call on an attack or Perform: Dance roll are not limited in any way. In addition, you gain a +4k0 bonus to your attack roll so long as you call a raise for a maneuver.
Existing Schools
City GuardTrait: +1 Reflexes
Integrity: 5.5
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Lore: Law, Investigation (Search), Spears, Swordsmanship, Any one Skill
Outfit: Longsword, shortsword, composite bow, 20 arrows, light armor, clothes, traveling pack, boots, 3 copper
Free Sahir
Trait: +1 Willpower
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Etiquette, Spellcraft, Lore: Theology, any two Lore skills, any two skills
Outfit: staff, knife, clothes, cloak, traveling pack, sandals, 5 copper
Alley Thug
Integrity: 2.5
Outfit: Partial Armor, sturdy clothing, Knife, any one weapon, traveling pack, 2 Copper
Scholar
Integrity: 4.5
Outfit: Sensible Clothing, knife, calligraphy set, Traveling Pack, 3 Copper
Street Rat
Integrity: 1.5
Outfit: Ragged clothing, knife, one small weapon, Traveling pack, 1 Copper
Homebrew Schools
Medinaat Al-SalaamFree Citizen Option #1. No Trait bonus. Gain an additional 10 experience points for character creation.
Free Citizen Option #2. No Trait bonus or school. Gain an additional 25 experience points for character creation.
Schools of the City
Caravan Guard (Warrior)
If it is the duty of the City Guard to keep the peace and enforce the laws inside Medinaat Al-Salaam, it is the duty of the Caravan Guard to protect the blood that keeps the great heart pumping. The Caravan Guard serves as bodyguards for large caravans, protecting the priceless goods heading to and from the City of 1,000 Tales from brigands and thieves. The duty of the Caravan Guard has remained mostly unchanged for centuries; the only difference is in where they go. Recent increased trade with the Ivory Kingdoms led many down into those fertile lands. But in more recent years contact with the Kingdoms has been cut off completely and stories of destruction and war are all that come north. The recent upheaval of the Senpet by the Yodotai and the continuing rebellion has limited that trade route. Most interestingly, the caravans they guard are beginning to edge closer to the Emerald Empire.
Benefit: +1 Strength
Integrity: 5.5
Skills: Defense, Commerce, Swordsmanship, Archery, Investigation (Notice), one Weapon skill, any one skill.
Outfit: Longsword, standard bow, 20 arrows, one weapon, Light Armor, clothes, traveling pack, 5 copper
Techniques
Rank 1: Falcon’s Eyes
The Caravan Guard must always be on the lookout for danger. You gain a +1k0 bonus to all Perception based rolls and attack rolls.
Rank 2: Gorilla’s Strength
The Caravan Guard must be prepared to crush trouble as soon as it arrives. Your Strength is considered to be two ranks higher when determining damage for Spears.
Rank 3: Owl’s Wisdom
A Caravan Guard will spend most of his time out in the sands, learning all that there is to know about them. You are considered to have the Way of the Land Advantage as long as you are outside a city and within the Burning Sands. Your Strength is considered to be one rank higher when determining damage for Swords.
Rank 4: Fox’s Swiftness
Caravan Guard’s must be capable of attacking repeatedly so they can finish an enemy quickly and move on to the next. You may make attacks as a simple action with any weapon for which your Strength is increased when determining damage.
Rank 5: Jinn’s Power
You must be able to strike a blow as though you were a mighty Jinn in order to properly protect your caravan. You may spend a Void point to add +2k1 to your damage roll. In addition, Your Strength is considered to be two ranks higher when determining damage for Heavy Weapons.
Servant of the Sun (Monk)
Those who devote themselves to worship of the sun are perhaps the most common of monks. Mostly their devotions are placation to avoid her wrath, and convincing others to do the same. If enough pray, they believe, Shilah will be placated and they will avoid a second Day of Wrath. They blame the Breaking of the Jewel on a lack of faith which served to increase their devotions and use of rhetoric for several generations, though a backlash of less devout priests has begun to appear.
Devotion: Shilah
Benefit: +1 Awareness
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Courtier, Intimidation 2, Lore: Theology (Shilah), Etiquette, Meditation, any one skill
Technique: The Word of the Sun
The Sun is a deity to be feared, according to the Servants of the Sun. As such placation must be made and the servants must be willing to make people understand that they must pray, especially when they don’t want to. When making a contested Social Skill roll you may spend a Void point to use your Intimidation (Control) skill instead of the skill called upon. You do not lose integrity for using the Intimidation skill.
Priest of the Word (Monk)
Mekhem was, in many ways, the founder of Medinaat al-Salaam, and his teachings caused the foundation of the city to be formed and has led to the great success of the city. It is no surprise then that a group dedicated to learning Mekhem’s teachings eventually came into being. The Priests of the Word follow Mekhem’s teachings, expanding upon the theories of his meanings and branching out from there, leading to dozens of different minor sects.
Devotion: Mekhem
Benefit: +1 Intelligence
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Etiquette, Defense, Lore: Theology (Mekhem), Meditation, Lore (choose one), any two skills
Technique: The 47 Sayings
The Priests of the Word are perhaps the most learned men in the Burning Sands and are more than happy to share that knowledge with others. When you spend a Void point on a High skill you gain a +2k1 bonus rather than +1k1.
Dervish (Monk)
The Dervish are a unique order of monks within the city who devote themselves to the teachings of Mekhem in a somewhat strange way. While many monks within the city are more grounded in the world, the Dervish order has a uniquely mystic tradition dating back to the eighth century when they were founded. Their goal is to seek truth in oneself and purify the body and soul for their inevitable meeting with the Divine.
Devotion: Mekhem
Benefit: +1 Agility
Integrity: 5.5
Skills: Etiquette, Lore: Theology, Meditation (Void Recovery), Perform: Dance 2, Sincerity, Athletics
Technique: Meditations on the Self
The Dervish order has perfected a dance meant to center themselves, and even those around them can feel the purification of the process. A number of times per day equal to your School Rank you may make a Perform: Dance/Void roll at TN 20. This dance takes five minutes to complete. If you succeed at this roll you regain two Void Points. In addition, a number of people who witnessed this performance up to twice your School Rank may gain one Void point.
Nomad Paths
Qahtan Riders (Warrior)
The Qahtan Riders are trained to be light on their horses, to the point that many Qahtan chose to ride without saddles, claiming that a saddle only slows the horse down. The results are hard to argue with as the Qahtan have some of the fastest and most sure-footed horses and riders in the Burning Sands.
Benefit: +1 Reflexes
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Horsemanship, Animal Handling, Tahaddi, Archery, any one skill
Integrity: 3.5
Outfit: Partial or Light Armor, Sturdy desert clothing, Riding Horse, Horsebow and 20 arrows, sikin, Traveling Pack, 1 Copper
Technique: The Great East Wind
The Great East Wind brings life as it speeds across the desert sands, so to do the Qahtan Riders move across the sand. Your Water ring is considered to be one rank higher for determining your movement, when mounted your horse is considered to have an additional rank of Swift. In addition, you gain a bonus to your ArmorTN equal to your Horsemanship skill while mounted and half that, round down, while on foot.
Mutayr Stoic (Warrior)
The Mutayr are trained in some of the harshest conditions possible to ensure that only the toughest riders survive the program. The Mutayr train for endurance both in horse and in rider and it is claimed that no nomad tribe is as capable of withstanding the heat of Lady Shilah as well as them.
Benefit: +1 Stamina
Skills: Investigation, Defense, Horsemanship, Hunting 2 (Survival), Archery, any one skill
Integrity: 2.5
Outfit: Partial or Light Armor, Sturdy desert clothing, Riding Horse, Horsebow and 20 arrows, sikin, Traveling Pack, 1 Copper
Technique: The Anvil’s Master
The Anvil is perhaps the harshest and most unforgiving portion of the entire Burning Sands. It is said that it was here that Shilah focused her anger, and the Mutayr seek to survive the next Day of Wrath by surviving that place. Your TNs to resist the Dazed, Fatigued, and Stunned Conditional Effects and effects of Environmental Hazards are reduced by 5. In addition you gain a Reduction of 2.
Joth Nightstalker (Warrior)
The Joth are a tribe that has recently undergone quite a bit of luck. With the absence of the Moto, the Joth are one of those who have stepped into the power vacuum made. They have become expert raiders and nighttime ambushers, growing rich off the plunder of those Caravans that they fall upon.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Stealth 3, Horsemanship 1
Technique: Strike in Silence - The Joth Nightstalker is adept at coming up right next to their foe before they even realize they are there. You may use the Stealth skill while Mounted. In addition you gain a +2k0 bonus to all Stealth rolls under the cover of night.
Farsi Bowman (Warrior)
The Farsi are perhaps some of the most renowned horse archers in the world, their strong bows able to strike the wings off a fly some say. Were the Farsi ever united, it is said, they would conquer the world.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Archery 3, Horsemanship 1
Technique: The Farsian Shot - The Farsian shot is the signature of their people, and many say that a Farsi is at his most dangerous when he is running away from you. You gain a +2k0 bonus to ranged attack rolls. This becomes a +2k1 bonus if you are mounted and your mount has made a simple move action this round.
Tirkak Guardian (Warrior)
Little is known of the Tirkak other than that they make their home in the Western Wastes and have a penchant for magical matters. The Guardians are a rather elite group of fighters though, who focus their efforts on overcoming magical opposition.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Spellcraft 3
Technique: Stand against the Magi - The Guardians have learned that in order to properly fight the magical foes, they must be able to defend themselves from magic. Whenever you are the target of a spell, you may increase or decrease the TN of the spell by 5. Additionally, you gain a +1k0 bonus on attack rolls while mounted.
Paths of the Free Man
Tomb Raiders (Diplomat)
The Tomb Raiders are an ancient organization that has been in existence for as long as Medinaat Al-Salaam has. The Tomb Raiders have no direct loyalty to any one nation or person and every nation or person of power has an interest in what the Tomb Raiders can dredge out of the sands.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Lore: Tombs 2
Technique: Add your Athletics skill rank to your Armor TN while you are in the Defense and Attack stances. You gain a +2k0 bonus on Investigation rolls.
The Thieves Guild (Warrior)
A shady group of cut-purses and vagabonds, the Thieves Guild is an organization that operates just outside the authority of the city and chooses to irritate those in charge by referring to themselves as a legitimate guild. The Thieves Guild is an ancient organization that has existed almost as long as the people of Medinaat Al-Salaam have had heavy purses that need lifting.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Sleight of Hand 2
Technique: When you are making an Agility/Sleight of Hand skill roll against a person your opponent suffers a -1k0 penalty to their roll for each Rank they have in the Wealth advantage, up to your Insight Rank.
Bodyguards (Warrior)
This group of men and women is an organization that has existed in one form or another within the city for generations. They line their pockets with contracts to the wealthy to whom they put their lives on the line to protect. The Bodyguards do not often have any interest in the exact details of why a person needs protection, they simply offer good protection. For the right price.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Defense 2, Integrity 3.0 or higher
Technique: Your Water Ring is one rank higher when determining your movement rate while you are moving in someone's defense. In addition you get a +1k0 bonus to damage rolls against an opponent who attacked the person you are guarding.
Militiamen (Warrior)
The Militiamen are a group of irregulars who serve at the whim of the Sultan and Caliph in the defense of the city. Unlike the City Guard irregulars they have no duty to enforce the laws of Medinaat Al-Salaam. Their only duty is to protect the city in the remote occasion when it finds itself attacked by an outside force. For the most part this is a cushy job with no real danger. But during the Awakening the Militiamen found themselves vastly out of their league against the threats they were facing.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Battle 3
Technique: You gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to your Insight Rank. While you are in the attack stance you may spend a void point to give all of your allies in the attack stance within 10 feet this benefit as well. This effect does not stack.
Financier Guild (Diplomat)
In a city as large and as wealthy as Medinaat Al-Salaam, it is inevitable that there will be some people who have wealth but have no interest in keeping track of it themselves. The Financier's fit into this niche by assisting those who have no talent for finance keep track of their large sums of money. For the most part this group does not cheat their employers out of money. But skimming from the bottom of the fund does happen and the leaders of the group are generally more than happy to look the other way as long as they get a cut.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Commerce 3
Technique: After being given access to someone's financial records you may make a contested Intelligence/Commerce(Mathematics) roll against the person who's finances you are reading. If you succeed you get a +1k0 bonus to any social or commerce roll made against that person for the next 24 hours. Alternatively, you may make an Intelligence/Commerce (Mathematics) roll against a TN of 25. If you succeed any time you are making a social or commerce roll on that persons behalf you get a +1k0 bonus to your roll for the next 24 hours.
Fire Brigade (Warrior)
Fires are not immensely common in the Burning Sands, which is no small part due to the fact that many structures are not built of wood. But in the dry and hot environment, fires that do start can quickly blaze up and become a hazard. The Fire Brigade are the brave, and some would say suicidal, men and women who fight these flash fires and are often called upon to jump into the most hazardous of situations to save lives. The Fire Brigade knows no fear.
Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Athletics 2
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus to all rolls against Fear, Intimidation, and any roll in which you are resisting being frightened.
Grand Performer's Guild (Artisan)
While one of the names of the city is The City of One Thousand Tales, that is not to say Storytellers alone rule the city streets. This guild makes their living by entertaining the throngs with displays of talent with instruments. The Grand Performer's Guild has been in existence for several centuries and has helped to expand the arts within The City of Peace during their tenure.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: One Perform skill that is not Storytelling at 4
Technique: If you spend a Void point on a non-vocal perform skill, you gain a +2k2 bonus to the roll rather than +1k1.
Al-Din's Knife (Warrior)
This formidable group is the premier dueling school that is open only those who are able to prove their ability in the art of dueling. Al-Din's Knife has perfected their technique over the decades of their existence and uses that skill to deadly effect. Members of Al-Din's Knife are expected to treat dueling as the sacred art that it is.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Tahaddi 4, You must defeat a member of Al-Din's Knife in a duel.
Technique: When you are in the center stance, you add twice your Void Ring to your normal bonus instead of your Void Ring.
Jarad's Mercenaries (Warrior)
Perhaps the most feared of independent contractors within the city, Jarad's Mercenaries are a highly trained, well organized, and morally scrupulous. They don't particularly care for politics and will hire themselves on with whoever pays them their contract fee. Being as disciplined and trained as they are, the Mercenaries are a relatively small group, with perhaps only 60 men in their employ at any given time.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: At least one rank in all weapon skills or Warrior's Hands.
Technique: You may spend a Void Point as a free action to make attacks with the weapon you are wielding as a simple action for the remainder of the skirmish.
Storyteller's Guild (Artisan)
One of the older guilds within the city, the Storyteller's Guild is an elite group that is very picky about who they allow to join their illustrious group. Those that are allowed to join get a number of perks that many lesser Storytellers could only dream of. Clearance to tell a story at almost any time in almost any location, and best of all, private shows to high ranking officials.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Perform: Storytelling 4, Must have an Ally in the Storyteller's Guild.
Technique: When making an Awareness/Perform: Storytelling roll you may declare a special raise. For each raise you made you may choose one person that heard your story and purchase them as an ally for one point less. In addition you gain a +1k0 bonus to all Perform: Storytelling and Etiquette skill rolls.
Rat Kings (Warrior)
The Rat Kings are a group of thieves and vagabonds that have honed their skills through experience and a hard life on the streets. The Rat Kings are rather exclusive as well, only allowing those that they know and trust into their fold to learn their secrets.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: Stealth 4, Athletics 4, Must have an Ally in the Rat Kings.
Technique: When making a Stealth or Athletics skill roll, if you do not have the relevant emphasis in that skill you may re-roll any 1's as though you did possess the emphasis. If you do have the relevant emphasis you may re-roll 1's and 2's.
Hayreddin's School (Warrior)
Hayreddin was a skilled swordsman during the Awakening who showed both his skill and his compassion repeatedly over the tumultuous events. When everything was over, Hayreddin was asked to form a school to teach others what he knew, so they could better defend themselves. Hayreddin reluctantly accepted the offer and the school was formed. It faced some resistance from groups like Jarad's Mercenaries, but after Hayreddin defended his school against their depredations the Mercenaries reluctantly accepted the school's existence. Hayreddin himself still runs the school, though the years are beginning to take their toll on him.
Technique Rank: 3
Requirements: One weapon skill at 4
Technique: Making attacks with weapons with the Warrior keyword are a simple action for you.
Merchant Guild (Diplomat)
There has been a long and drawn out financial war between the Dahabi and the Merchant Guild. The Merchant Guild threatens the monopoly that the Dahabi have over the city, and many in the Merchant Guild have no interest in becoming lackeys of someone higher up in the food chain than they are. The men and women of the Merchant Guild are strong willed individuals who simply wish to live their lives following their own wishes and not having to worry about a boss.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Commerce 5, Must defeat a member of the Merchant House in a Commercial affair.
Technique: In a contested Commerce skill roll or Social skill roll you may spend a Void point to give your opponent a -2k0 penalty to their roll.
Serpent's Bite (Ninja)
The Serpent's Bite is a group of blades for hire that were once the premier assassins of the city long ago. Since the Assassins of the Mountain have come into the city however, their fortunes have changed. Often times the Serpent's Bite fulfills contracts which the Assassins have no interest in or when the money isn't good enough to buy an Assassin of the Mountain.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Knives or Brawling skill at 4
Technique: Making attacks with a Knife or unarmed are a simple action for you if the target is unaware of your presence or alone.
Black Masks (Warrior)
The Black Masks are a notorious group whose exact membership is unknown to all but their leader. All members where black hoods over their faces so that they cannot be recognized by anyone during the course of their duties. What exactly the Black Masks do is torture. Their knowledge of the human body and how to push it to its breaking point is beyond most other groups.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Lore: Anatomy 4, Integrity 3.0 or less.
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus to damage rolls. You may make an Intelligence/Lore: Anatomy roll at TN 20 as a simple action to determine the remaining wounds of an opponent
Crimelords (Diplomat)
The premier of the underworld, the Crimelords are the people who own places like the Maze and other places where most people fear to tread. They wield fear as a potent weapon that they turn on any who would oppose them. No one does business in the underworld without their knowledge and approval.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Lore: Underworld 5
Technique: You may make a contested Willpower/Intimidation (Bullying) roll, resisted as normal. If you succeed on this roll your opponent suffers a -3k0 penalty to all rolls made against you can cannot call raises or use free raises in rolls made against you for one hour.
Bounty Hunters (Warrior)
The Bounty Hunters are a relentless group that is often hired on by the City Guard to collect criminals that they do not have the manpower available to apprehend themselves. They are trackers without peer and are known to hunt their prey relentlessly until they are brought in.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Hunting 5
Technique: Once per day you may nominate a target for the remainder of that day. You get a +1k1 bonus to all Hunting or Investigation rolls related to your target and you may use the Disarm maneuver against your target for one raise.
Rangers (Warrior)
The Rangers spend most of their time outside the confines of the city, scouring the desert for signs of life which may lead to new opportunities for themselves and their city. The Rangers are skilled with bows, as many creatures in the Burning Sands are deadly enough to kill if they get close enough.
Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Archery 4
Technique: Making attacks with a bow is considered a simple action for you.
Doomseeker (Sahir)
Technique Rank: 4
Replaces: Any Rank 4 tech, Rokugani must be Unicorn Shugenjas
Requirements: Willpower 5, must find a personal teacher who will share the secrets of the Doomseeker tradition. Subject to GM Approval.
Technique: Any time you are in the presence of a hidden demon, monster, khadi, or similar entity, you may roll Willpower TN 25 to sense the presence and location of the creature. With a success, you are able to pick up subtle clues that give away the entity's true nature to you.
If you have become aware of the presence of such a creature, you may spend a spell slot as a Complex action to make a Contested Willpower roll against the creature. With a success, you gain a spiritual insight into the entity's true nature and learn one key piece of information about how it can be unmasked and/or defeated. The second part of this technique cannot be used against the same target more often than once per month.
Sages (Diplomat)
The Sages are the Lore masters of Medinaat Al-Salaam. There are few things that they do not have knowledge of and they jealously guard their secrets from those who are not members. Even among members, information is a hassle to get out of another as paranoia can run rampant among their ranks. Still, any information that can be found is always of use.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: Two Lore skills at 6, Must have the Forbidden Knowledge advantage.
Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus on any non-combat roll that is related to a Lore skill that you possess. This ability stacks.
Shadow (Ninja)
The Shadow are a little known organization of thieves that hides deep in the underbelly of society. They are difficult to find, and even harder to get in contact with unless they have an interest in speaking to you. The Shadow serves in any number of different functions, from information gathering, to assassination, to simple burglary. There are few things that the Shadow does not have its fingers into, and it is impossible to say where one might appear next.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: Stealth 6, you must sneak in and out of a highly secured location without being noticed.
Technique: If you fail a Stealth skill roll or are spotted while attempting a Stealth skill roll, you may spend a Void point to re-roll. You must keep this new roll.
Sworddancer (Warrior)
The Sworddancers are some of the greatest weapon wielders of all time. Each member has proven his skill with a blade and is able to make it dance across a battlefield, both awing and terrifying his opponents. The Sworddancers have existed as a group for centuries and have a very small population, considering the stringent requirements to join.
Technique Rank: 5
Requirements: A Weapon skill at 6, Perform: Dance 5
Technique: The number of raises you may call on an attack or Perform: Dance roll are not limited in any way. In addition, you gain a +4k0 bonus to your attack roll so long as you call a raise for a maneuver.